A blog about business in Fort Worth and North Texas, by the staff of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

28 posts categorized "Unemployment stats"

04/19/2013

Texas experienced a rare interruption in its recent record of employment growth last month, as the state's employers trimmed 4,100 nonagricultural jobs from a month earlier. The state's jobless rate, adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, remained unchanged at 6.4 percent, however, as the civilian labor force also contracted slightly. Manufacturing lost 6,200 wage-and-salary positions and the services category that includes wholesale and retail trade, transportation and utilities lost 10,300 jobs. Categories that gained jobs in March included construction, finance and leisure/hospitality. For the past year, Texas employers have added 329,500 jobs, or 3.1 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission said. The state jobless rate a year earlier was 7 percent.

In Fort Worth-Arlington, the unadjusted jobless rate was 6.1 percent, compared to the state's unadjusted rate of 6.3 percent. Metropolitan area statistics are not seasonally adjusted, while state and national figures typically are. Employers in Fort Worth-Arlington, which includes Tarrant, Johnson, Wise and Parker counties, added 1,500 jobs in March and are up 23,700 jobs in the past year. In March 2012 the local jobless rate was 6.8 percent.

12/21/2012

The Texas unemployment rate dropped to 6.2 percent in November, down from 6.6 percent in October and the lowest since December 2008, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday. The state's jobless rate was down more than a percentage point from 7.3 percent a year ago and remains well below the national rate of 7.7 percent. Texas employers added 22,100 total nonfarm jobs in November for a total of 278,800 jobs added over the year, TWC said.

In Fort Worth-Arlington, the jobless rate improved even more, falling to 5.6 percent in November from 6.1 percent in October and 7 percent a year ago. Those local metro numbers are not adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, while the state numbers are. The comparable unadjusted jobless rate in November was 5.8 percent for Texas and 7.4 percent for the United States. The state's lowest jobless rates were 3 percent in Midland and 3.6 percent in nearby Odessa, in the middle of the Permian Basin oil boom. Brownville-Harlingen had the highest rate at 9.7 percent.

11/16/2012

Texas’ unemployment rate fell to 6.6 percent in October from 6.8 percent the previous month, as six of the state’s 11 major industries reported gains, led by education and health. Employers added 36,600 payroll jobs in the month and have added 269,000 jobs in the past year, which has seen all but one of the state’s major industries add positions, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday. The annual gain amounts to 3 percent, well over the U.S. rate of 1.8 percent in the same time, and the state’s jobless rate is well below the national rate of 7.9 percent. The category that includes education and health jobs added 13,700 jobs in October, the largest monthly gain ever, TWC said. The category is up 43,000 jobs over the past year.

In Fort Worth-Arlington, employers added 4,600 new positions in October. The area’s unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, which is unadjusted for seasonal variations. It compares to the state’s unadjusted rate of 6.3 percent.

05/18/2012

Texas added 13,200 jobs in April, and the state’s unemployment rate fell to 6.9 percent, down from 7 percent in March and 8 percent a year ago, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday.

Compared to a year ago, Texas is up 225,000 jobs, the commission said.

“The Texas economy continues to add jobs, with 10 of 11 major industries growing over the past year,” Andres Alcantar, the commission chairman, said. “The continued growth across industries is positive.”

Texas’ private sector employers added 12,200 jobs over March and were up 277,100 jobs from a year ago, the commission said.

Construction led, with an increase of 7,300 jobs and was up 14,100 jobs from a year ago. Trade, transportation and utilities was up 2,900 in April and was up 42,300 from a year ago.

Mining and logging added 400 jobs in April and was up 33,900 from a year ago.

Manufacturing was up 6,300 jobs in April and 25,400 from a year earlier.

Information was up 800 jobs in April and 2,100 from a year earlier.

Financial activities was down 1,900 jobs in April and was up 13,800 from a year ago.

Professional and business services was off 2,600 jobs in April, but was up 39,500 from a year ago.

Education and health services was up 2,500 jobs for April and 49,100 from a year ago.

Leisure and hospitality was of 4,300 jobs in April, but up 42,600 from a year ago.

Other services added 800 jobs in April, and were up 14,300 from a year ago.

Government, which includes public schools, added 1,000 jobs in April, but was off 51,300 jobs from a year ago.

The Fort Worth-Arlington jobless rate fell to 6.3 percent in April from 7.5 percent a year ago.

"Texas’ job growth over the past year points to a steady and sustained expansion of our state’s economy," Tom Pauken, the Workforce Commission chairman, said in a release. "Texas has experienced positive annual job growth for the last 22 months, and that’s because Texas continues to be a great place to work and do business."

Eight of 11 major industry segments were up from a month earlier.

Manufacturing was up 800 jobs over the month, and up 24,400 from a year ago.

Construction was up 4,500 jobs for the month and 8,100 from a year ago.

Trade, transportation and utilities was up 8,300 jobs from a month ago, and 68,300 from a year earlier.

Education and health services was up 3,800 jobs from a month ago, and up 49,500 jobs from a year earlier.

Financial activities was up 1,700 jobs from a montha go, and 16,000 from a year earlier.

Other services was up 1,300 jobs from a month ago, and 18,900 from a year earlier.

Government was up 12,800 from a month ago, and down 57,900 from a year earlier.

Information was up 800 jobs from a month ago, and down 1,800 from a year earlier.

Mining and logging was down 900 jobs from a month ago, and up 36,600 from a year ago.

Professional and business services was down 3,000 jobs from a month ago, and up 57,700 from a year earlier.

Leisure and hospitality was down 2,200 jobs from a month ago, and up 54,100 from a year earlier.

Fort Worth-Arlington added 26,000 jobs from a year earlier, and the jobless rate was 7 percent in February, down from 8 percent a year earlier. - Scott Nishimura

03/09/2012

Texas employers added 67,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in January and the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 7.3 percent in January, down from 7.4 percent in December and down from 8.1 percent a year earlier. It's the state's lowest jobless rate since April 2009 and compares to the U.S. jobless rate of 8.3 percent. The Texas Workforce Commission said the state has added jobs 21 straight months when compared to the same month the previous year, and payroll jobs are up 258,200 in the past year. Private employers added 73,800 jobs in January, or 332,600 in the past year. TWC Chairman Tom Pauken noted that mining and logging, the category that includes oil and gas, added more than 38,000 jobs in the past year, including 5,700 in January, as crude oil prices have surged.

Nine of the 11 major industry groups added jobs in January, led by professional and business services, which added 18,100 jobs over the month and is up 69,500 jobs in the past year, or 5.3 percent, TWC said today. The report was released later than normal and coincided with the release of the U.S. jobless date for February, which showed the national unemployment rate unchanged at 8.3 percent.

10/21/2011

The Texas unemployment rate held steady at 8.5 percent in September as the state bounced back from a month of job losses by adding more than 15,000 positions. The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday the increase in jobs came after the state dramatically revised the number of nonfarm job losses in August to 21,600 from the initially reported figure of 1,300. It was the first month of job losses this year, according to commission figures.

The U.S. jobless rate also held steady in September at 9.1 percent.

In Fort Worth-Arlington the jobless rate dipped to 8.2 percent from 8.3 percent in August as the area added 3,400 payroll jobs. Services and local government, driven by the resumption of the school year, each added more than 4,000 positions, offsetting a decline of 1,000 jobs in professional and business services and the loss of 700 restaurant jobs.

Commission Chairman Tom Pauken said he was "encouraged" by the state adding 26,500 private sector jobs in September. Professional and business services added 18,400 jobs in September, while government lost another 11,100 positions and has dropped 33,700 jobs over the past year.